Category: Festivals

Festivals is an ongoing series that looks to explain the history, significance, and practice of various rituals, holidays, and festivals from around the world. Readers can learn about what, why, and when people celebrate the things they do all year round.

Quick Facts Summary: a Bahá’í commemoration of the death of Bahá’u’lláh 2019 Date: 28th May Celebrated by: Bahá’í Linked Holidays: Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, Ridván (Bahá’í) Background and Theological Significance The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh is the annual remembrance in the Bahá’í Faith of the death of its founder Bahá’u’lláh. Followers of the Bahá’í Faith believe that […]

Quick Facts Summary: a Christian feast celebrating the ascension of the Resurrected Christ into heaven 2019 Date: 30th May Celebrated by: Christians Linked Holidays: Easter, Pentecost (Christianity) Background and Theological Significance The Feast of the Ascension, or Ascension Day, is the celebration in the Christian liturgical year of the bodily ascension of the risen Jesus […]

Quick Facts Summary: a pagan festival celebrating the start of summer 2020 Date: 1st May (often starting at sundown on 30th April) Celebrated by: Modern pagans, Gaelic culture Linked Holidays: May Day (Northern hemisphere), Wheel of the Year Sabbats (Wicca) Background and Theological Significance Beltane is the Gaelic name for the festivities that are normally […]

Quick Facts Summary: a Bahá’í festival commemorating Bahá’u’lláh as a Manifestation of God 2020 Date: 19th April – 1st May (sundown to sundown) Celebrated by: Bahá’í Linked Holidays: Naw-Rúz Background and Theological Significance Ridván is the principal festival for Bahá’í, and is often referred to as the ‘Most Great Festival’. It is seen as the […]

Quick Facts Summary: a Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ 2020 Date: 12th April Celebrated by: Christians, Europeans Linked Holidays: Holy Week (Christianity), Passover (Judaism) Background and Theological Significance Easter refers to the Sunday on which the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated by Christians. It marks the end of Holy Week; which is […]

Quick Facts Summary: a Jain festival celebrating the birth of Mahavira 2020 Date: 6th April Celebrated by: Jains, Indians (as a National Holiday) Linked Holidays: Diwali (Jainism), Buddha Jayanti (Buddhism) Background and Theological Significance Jainism developed in the Dharmic theological tradition that originated and evolved in the Indian subcontinent over the course of thousands of […]